Iowa’s Best Burger finalists deliver versatility, new flavors and memorable quality in each bite
Elijah Decious
The Gazette
Apr 29, 2026 Updated Apr 29, 2026
A map from the Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association shows the top 10 finalists for the 2026 Iowa’s Best Burger contest. The winner will be announced May 1, 2026.
So many burgers, so little time.
With so many classes and varieties of cheeseburgers — smash burgers, diner burgers, steakhouse-style burgers, fast food burgers, pub burgers, dive bar burgers — my school of thought on burgers is similar to the mentality of pizza enthusiasts.
There’s no such thing as a bad burger. But when virtually every American restaurant and many non-American restaurants have at least one on the menu, it can be hard to sort through all the ground beef.
Case in point: the 2026 Iowa’s Best Burger contest by the Iowa Beef Industry Council had 350 restaurant nominations from 5,400 burger aficionados.
But this year, Eastern Iowa restaurants had an unusually strong showing, producing six of the 10 finalists vying for the burger crown — a departure from previous years.
This year’s finalists are:
Arcadia, Polk City
B52 Bar & Grill, Bennett
Dixie’s Biergarten, Decorah
Northside Diner, Washington
Prairie Canary, Grinnell
Salsa Guy Café, Cedar Rapids
Scooters On Main, Alta
Smash & Grab Burger Co., Knoxville
TCI Bar & Grill, Polk City
The Landmark Bistro, Grundy Center
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